Bird's Nest

The National Stadium, also known as Bird’s Nest, is the main stadium of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which is located in Olympic Green Village, 8 kilometers from downtown Beijing. The stadium was mainly designed by the famous Swiss architects Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang, which is a large steel-structure building and it’s known as the Bird’s Nest based on its distinctive design and shape. During Beijing Olympic Games, the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony, athletics, football and some other events were held in the Bird’s Nest. After the Olympic Games, the Bird’s Nest becomes a hot scenic spot and a large-scale venue of sports events and recreational activities, such as holding vocal concerts.

As a distinctive landmark sports building and Olympic heritage, the Bird’s Nest will play an important role in the development of the world’s buildings. The National Stadium covers a total area of 21 hectares, with the floor area of 258,000 square meters, which holds a capacity of 91,000 seats including 80,000 permanent seats and 11,000 temporary seats (have been removed already) with the international standard. The main building is 333 meters long from north to south and 296 meters wide from east to west, with the highest point of 68.5 meters and the lowest point of 42.8 meters.

The steel structure of the National Stadium is one of the world’s sports buildings with the largest span. The maintenance structure of its rooftop is a double membrane structure covered on the steel structure. The construction adopts advanced energy conservation design and environmental protection measures, including favorable natural ventilation, natural lighting, the entire recycling of rainwater, the use of renewable geothermal energy resources and the use of solar photovoltaic power generation technology. Beneath the football field, there are 312 Ground Source Heat Pump system wells which can supply heat (from the earth) to the stadium in winters and supply cold (from the earth) to the stadium in winters by burying heat exchange tube beneath, which saves much electric power. The rainwater collected by the system of recycling rainwater on the top of the stadium can be used to afforest, flush toilets, control fire or flush the runway, which can save much water resources. Thus, the Bird’s Nest is known as a large Green Building without any doubt.

Olympic Theme Attractions

The Olympic Torch –Auspicious Clouds

It gives the public a chance to get close to the Olympic Torch and know about the design idea and technology of Auspicious Clouds Torch. Besides, the great moments and touching scene happening during the torch relay will remind you of the unforgettable Olympic moments.

The Olympic Torch（Photo source from the web）

The Olympic Media Area

Bird’s Nest has the largest stadium media center of Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The stadium media center consists of the stand for media (including photographers and journalists), media workroom, mixed media area, press box and rest area for reporters.

Exhibition of Props Appearing at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of at Olympics and Paralympics

In this exhibition, you can see the display of some of a few props used in the performance at the closing and opening ceremonies of Olympics and Paralympics, such as a seven-stringed plucked instrument, Fou which is a kind of percussion instrument used in ancient times, quant and bamboo slips.

Solo Adventure Tips:

Location:

Olympic Green

How to Get There?

You can take bus No. 18, 108, 124, 207, 328, 380, 387, 409, 426, 558, 653, 694, 758, 803, 849 or 985 and get off at Olympic Sports Center East Gate Station, or take bus No. 407 or 84 and get off at Olympic Sports Center West Gate station; Or you can take Subway Line 10 to Beitucheng and then transfer to Subway Line 8 (Olympic Special Line) and get off at Olympic Sports Center Station, get out of the station from Exit B1 or Exit B2

Ticket Price:

50 yuan per person for adults; free of charge for senior citizens more than 70 years old and children shorter than 1.2 meters; half-price tickets for the old between 60 to 69 years old with identity cards or students with student ID card

Opening Hours:

9:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday; 9:00 to 21:30 on Saturday and Sunday and during statutory holiday